Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[WavemasterRyx]

@Kippershy, @RoboRed, @O. Hinds
- Thank you all *hugs each of you gently*

@Meleagridis:

@IncoherentOrange:

@Kattlarv:

(For the record, fanart, fan stories based off PH and
other things that are at least related to PH itself while not strictly
PH are also completely fine being in this thread, under my suggested
guidelines.)

So yeah, all the chatter not related to
Project Horizons in some way (FOE in general doesn't count unless it has
a PH tone to it) is now in the thread here:
https://cloudsville.rpg-board.net/t809-official-project-horizons-comment-crew-chat-thread

*hugs Kipper again*
I think this was a very good idea, hopefully everyone will be able to make good use of it. Very commendable.

[Kippershy]

@Kippershy, @RoboRed, @O. Hinds
- Thank you all *hugs each of you gently*

@Meleagridis:

@IncoherentOrange:

@Kattlarv:

(For the record, fanart, fan stories based off PH and
other things that are at least related to PH itself while not strictly
PH are also completely fine being in this thread, under my suggested
guidelines.)

So yeah, all the chatter not related to
Project Horizons in some way (FOE in general doesn't count unless it has
a PH tone to it) is now in the thread here:
https://cloudsville.rpg-board.net/t809-official-project-horizons-comment-crew-chat-thread

*hugs Kipper again*
I think this was a very good idea, hopefully everyone will be able to make good use of it. Very commendable.

-hugs tight back- Thanks dude, I'm glad you're here.
I was hoping that if I did this, we'd get you back, I know I'd come back to keeping track of this thread and at times, the other thread (drama with my friend is coming to a close now...) and hopefully, maybe, by a longshot... maybe we'll see a little glimpse of Somber here more often too.

Again, glad to see ya dude <3

Whee :3 Yeah, honestly if I came across the thread in
the state it's in with the limited knowledge of the community I had when
I initially showed up, I would probably be less inclined to post due to
the 'boys club' nature it kinda turned into.

Anyway, as I've
started rereading PH a while back and taking more time with it, gotta
state again on how much appreciation I have for "Orientation." The
interviews with the party members is a really great change of pace,
along with the infodump of the chapter. It provides tons of great
development and I hope to see some call backs to it soon, especially
with the crew's opinions of Blackjack. We've already seen P-21's
increasing turn in the last chapter and reading the initial thing he
did, it's pretty great to see the evolution.

I stopped in the middle of it last night but I'm wondering if Blackjack will ever stumble across the recordings... HMM

And again, this is exactly why I did it.
Now you don't feel like something like this will get eaten by 10 pages of random whatever, we can feel free to go back on the story and pick up on these small things and talk about the difference of then and now and all that.

As well as that, it should mean that it's a more newbie friendly environment while still having the clubhouse feel elsewhere.


and yes, that is quite the interesting idea. I wonder if she ever will... I doubt it, but maybe all the same.
I'll give a proper reply tomorrow when I have more time :)

[Ironmonger]

Since the new chat thread is going to be our iteration of the Eye of Terror, partially thanks to me (hehe), you'll likely be seeing less of me. However most posts i make will probably be long analyzations of various technologies, tactics, and other things in the story. And lurking.

[IncoherentOrange]

Chapter two response time! (I saw an unspaced ellipsis, but the case is kind of odd:

O...kay.

Not sure what to make of it, and as I am an editor of sorts... agh. If it were me, I'd have written, 'O-kay,' or use different words.)

Looking fairly similar to the original thus far, except that the protagonist has a companion, one that isn't very fond of her, and the Stable kind of had the crap beaten out of it, but Mom can handle it... right? (Damn you, Ketchup, for revealing the Stable's eventual fate!)

Though I suppose you're bottlenecked for the 'Just after leaving the Stable' part. Not much else to say. Yet.

[Caoimhe]

It's a delayed response.

"Oh...........kay"

[IncoherentOrange]

It's a delayed response.

"Oh...........kay"

Yeah, but you can't use an ellipsis like that. It should always have a space after it unless it's being used...

...like this. (To indicate a longer pause than a period or comma, I think. I haven't read any style manuals.) Oh, and you would know that ellipses are three characters in length. No more, no less.

[Caoimhe]

Well, it's separating the word. For dialogue representation it works even if it's not proper grammar per-say. Not that big a deal, hyphenating doesn't have the same effect for vocalization.

[Caoimhe]

He was better as a naïve squeaky dude, IMO. Alas I am not the puppetmaster.

[O. Hinds]

In my mind, Fillydelphia would probably be re-branded, too - the name would have too many negative connotations for the populace of the wasteland, and it is likely that it would have ended up becoming the capital of the NCR. I could never come up with a satisfactory name, though (New Canterlot, perhaps, though I've never understood why (in-story*) the founders of the NCR chose to invoke the name of the former pony capital, when griffons were (as far as I've understood things) heavily involved with the process.)

Welcome!

The older mare was guiding the adolescent unicorn as she used her magic put the finishing touches on a stained-glass window. Fluttershy guessed the window was for the New Canterlot castle.

Fluttershy felt confident in flying across Junction Town, maybe even to where they were building the new castle. But not all the way to Bucklyn Cross.

It sounds like the new capital, or at least the castle itself, is called New Canterlot and that it's relatively close to Junction Town. My guess has been that the capital is being constructed at what used to be Shattered Hoof (and my headcanon has it growing enough to eventually envelop Junction Town (they're only about 10.5km apart anyway, which is a bit less than the distance between Waterloo Station and London City Airport)).

[Kattlarv]

@Wave: I could probably think up a few indecent puns and whatnot about that. But anyhow. And you're welcome as said. And thank you too :3

@Kipper: Kudos for mentioning it out in the open and doing stuff about it.

@Swicked: Warning: Exposure to Kim over prolonged times of period might cause nausea, hallucinations, mood swings, questioning reality, headache or similar symptoms. Result may vary. For questions, consult your local Sindri.

@Cao: Might just be the ... [I forgot the word for it] talking, but am I the only one that would have found it hilarious if Psycho raped him? (not related to recent or prior things, despite the tone)

Spoiler:

And I forgot what I was going to talk about in the first place, yay! I trail off way too often about stuff like this heh.

[IncoherentOrange]

Well, it's separating the word. For dialogue representation it works even if it's not proper grammar per-say. Not that big a deal, hyphenating doesn't have the same effect for vocalization.

(You mean, per se?) Indeed. The English language may have its rules, but in writing, they are meant to be bent to portray, well, what you want to show, and are more like guidelines in creative writing. Not so much in professional writing, of course. In this case, hyphenating would imply a brief pause between words, and/or a different enunciation. Using an ellipsis does create the perception of yet another enunciation, and spacing it would separate the word, which is unacceptable. It's just kind of odd to use a punctuation figure used after or before words in the middle of the word, or the opposite (like the apostrophe, in cases such as 'Thinkin'' and 'Princess'').

[Caoimhe]

I can't write. I just get paid to try (at a 5th grade level no less, now). :(

[Ketchup]

I can't write. I just get paid to try (at a 5th grade level no less, now). :(

Weren't you the one that was to write an article about bronies as a whole? If so, what happened to it?

[Caoimhe]

Since I moved up to another paper, I'm really not so sure. Last I heard they were considering publishing it around this time (for season 3). I haven't seen it (probably because of election coverage) but it's their property for the time being since it's past the second tier edit stage. I've been emailing my old editor and haven't heard anything so they are either going to publish it soon or discount it. If the latter is the case I'll just throw it up on my blog at my new paper if I get the OK. Gotta make sure everything's legit first.

Believe me, this mess is aggravating since I spent a lot of time on the assignment and haven't had certain expenses reimbursed yet. :(

[Downloaded Skill]

Kipper I really appreciate you taking the time to write that out and make a new thread for the chatter. I visited this site less and less because thread drifted too far off PH / Ponies to keep my interest, even if I am rather partial to WH40k and weapon design speculation. Have some brohoofs.

@Cao: Whatever happens to the article please make a post about it. I love reading about Ponies in the news and this would be one of the few articles written by someone who experienced the fandom and actually joined. I'm sure EQD would be chomping at the bit to post something like that as well.

On the topic of Styg: I was on the fence about him from the start. I didn't really care for his introduction and I think the relationship sort of derailed Blackjack. For someone with her trauma and her history, she was never smitten with a male from what I remember other than P-21 at the beginning, it just came off as too quick. While I understand WHY Somber wrote Styg that way, I would have liked it to have taken a bit longer. The relationship with Whisper also came off as too quick for my tastes. There is also the "shadow step" ability he possesses as well as the prince reveal that just irks me to no end. It just ends up coming a bit too close to Mary Sue to me. Though I guess being unable to speak does stop a lot of character development opportunities. I liked him as a silent, naive, flirtatious new guy. He just got a bit too much influence and power too quick ya know?

[Caoimhe]

If it wasn't for Psychoshy and others that knew of Styg, I could imagine Styg being a manifestation by Blackjack as a coping mechanism for dealing with her rape trauma as well as certain symbolism of the Hightower arc since it was rather different from the typical nature of the story. The hospital scene being in the middle of all this helps amplify it.

Blackjack runs off and finds a way to confront her rape that gives herself control and conquers an unthinkable task mainly by herself and a bunch of other dudes that aren't her core friends that have helped her survive all this time, proving that she, herself is in control and can lead those whom she doesn't have such strong emotional attachment to.

Her influence even turns once of her first "enemies" (Psychoshy) so hard that the negative persona brought on by fear, guilt and reliance on others is destroyed. This is the exact thing BJ is trying to accomplish for herself.

All of this, of course is symbolic and manifested in Blackjack's mind as she matures.

I think this works well thematically but then you have to figure in everyone who met Styg and some of the after effects.

[OneMoreDaySK]

Wow, I'm absent for a day, and this happens. Y'did good Kip. Now we have our own proto /b/. Hopefully this reduces the amount of random chatter here and scares Somber less.

@Ryx's Pic
Nice detail with the bowtie. Question from this: Would Blackjack really be a musician had she been able to? And what would her supposed cutie mark be?

@Downloaded Skill
It's true that Styg was more or less a Sue-y character, but now there's possibility for a sidestory of what happens when he introduces Whisper into the clan. Will there be jealousy? Is the King going to disapprove? Turn it into a drama!

Now I apologize for all the strange topics I myself have contributed to in the thread so far. Sorry.

[222222]

@Styg: I had no problem with Stygius, in fact I thought he was a great character, not too serious, kind of a badass, and still dorky. In my mind though, he never seduced Blackjack, to me Blackjack used Stygius for her own personal reasons and the fact that he enjoyed himself was a side effect if that. Same with Psycho, Stygius didn't come in and sweep her off her hooves, she needed a straight stallion to become overly attached to and Stygius fit the bill. The shadow step is kind of janky I guess, but in comparison to Blackjack, or even P-21, it's not that overpowered in my opinion.

On another note: almost immediately after being started, the new thread turns to meaningful on topic FOE discussion. What is this I don't even...

[Downloaded Skill]

@Styg: I had no problem with Stygius, in fact I thought he was a great character, not too serious, kind of a badass, and still dorky. In my mind though, he never seduced Blackjack, to me Blackjack used Stygius for her own personal reasons and the fact that he enjoyed himself was a side effect if that. Same with Psycho, Stygius didn't come in and sweep her off her hooves, she needed a straight stallion to become overly attached to and Stygius fit the bill. The shadow step is kind of janky I guess, but in comparison to Blackjack, or even P-21, it's not that overpowered in my opinion.

On another note: almost immediately after being started, the new thread turns to meaningful on topic FOE discussion. What is this I don't even...

I really tried to keep this tread on topic, but it ended up getting lost in spam. Now that the spam has its own thread there is really no where to go but the PH train. Which could probably also be called the mental degradation express.

On a side note I seem to have turned the spam thread into a meaningful FOE discussion thread. There is something innately weird about that to me.

[IncoherentOrange]

Choo choo.

I'm likely to read chapter three of PH tomorrow, perhaps I'll learn something about writing long stories and connecting series of events by reading this story, because the last time I wrote something of major length, it was more like ending a story arc and then starting another one with a 750-word cooldown period between them.

I used to be quite the mediocre writer. Probably still am.

[Ketchup]

Stygius wasn't a terrible or useless addition, and he served a purpose of sorts, but he's not really a great character. He seems to just be adept at combat and good in bed, nothing else.

[Caoimhe]

I refuse to believe the virgin Styg was that good in bed. Blackjack was just dying for a good dicking and her own reason for wanting to do the deed just made it all the more better for her.

[Downloaded Skill]

Stygius wasn't a terrible or useless addition, and he served a purpose of sorts, but he's not really a great character. He seems to just be adept at combat and good in bed, nothing else.

I know right? Compared to the other characters Somber has made, Stygius just doesn't measure up. If he comes back he is going to need some serious character development. I liked the dorky flirtatiousness, but he should be more rounded than that.

*Edit*

I believe that also contributes heavily to Styg's Mary Sue status, Cao. On a side note, I read that in Scootaloo's voice and lol'ed.

[222222]

@Stygius: I thought he really injected some life into the story, sort of revitalized it after all the depressing self-deprecating stuff, I liked him a lot. Plus when he wrote out his words, I thought it was funny and cute. But yeah, probably not all that good in bed, unless that whole virgin thing was a ton of BS. Just saying its a possibility.

[Ketchup]

Okay, yes the writing thing is adorable. He is unique but not any more so than the existing characters.

[Caoimhe]

Batponi in general are adorable. I want one as a pet.

[CannonFodder]

Batponi in general are adorable. I want one as a pet.

(My oc is a batpony)
. . . Must resist impulse to make inappropriate joke, not resisting well.


As for the topic of Stygius, I was pretty meh about him. I was still meh about his leaving. If he ever does come back his way of talking in middle english is going to get annoying real fast. I was more sad about Psychoshy leaving. I liked her character, though being given a opportunity to not have to deal with the wasteland I'd chose what she chose as well.

[Cptadder]

Speaking of Stiggy, I was fine with him showing up. What I was not fine with was him leaving, or the manor in which he left. He was fine up until he left when he became a retroactive Gary Stu type. Before he was a randy Batpony who got it on with the cyborg then hooked up with Whisper because he was the strong silent type.

And then he was neither and became something else I'm inclined to shoot on site. I remember criticizing Somber for it at the time and I remember the general throwing up of hands on Somber's part.

I'll say now what I said then, you wrote an easy forty charaters who I understand and believe are believable. Stiggy was to till his departure so trust me when I say I bear you no ill will... but Stiggy is a Stu. But I'll forgive you a Stu...

Everyone gets one as long as it's not also the obvious author proxy.

[WavemasterRyx]

-hugs tight back- Thanks dude, I'm glad you're here.
I was hoping that if I did this, we'd get you back, I know I'd come back to keeping track of this thread and at times, the other thread (drama with my friend is coming to a close now...) and hopefully, maybe, by a longshot... maybe we'll see a little glimpse of Somber here more often too.

Again, glad to see ya dude <3

Well I mean usually I don't have very much to say, but having the thread being more focused on actual PH discussion does allow me to keep track much easier, and be less likely to miss any posts where I feel I can contribute.

Somber being able to drop by more often would be nice, to hear how they're doing.

Nice detail with the bowtie. Question from this:
Would Blackjack really be a musician had she been able to? And what
would her supposed cutie mark be?

Thank you.
Really, I'm not sure if she would or not. Although she can play Octavia, it's heavily implied that all her skill comes from the fact that it's actually Octavia's soul responding to her and playing the instrument itself, rather than her doing anything.

I like to think she could actually have become a musician though, in another life. If I were to pick her cutie mark... maybe a red bass clef, or cards with musical notes on them


@Stygius discussion
- I've still never had a problem with Stygius, but I suppose that's just me.

[Guest]

@Ryx
That's a lovely image, I love the tail. It actually bring to mind Octavia's - dunno if that was intentional - which sort of makes me think of it as a visualization of Octavia's soul's influence on Blackjack, and the connection the two make across time and space.

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